Benin

Cote d'Ivoire

Ghana

Niger

United States

Germany

Italy

Military & Security

The United States agreed to withdraw troops from Niger and vacate its two military facilities in the country, AP reported on April 20.

Niger: U.S. To Withdraw Troops From Niger, Seek New Drone Base in West Africa

Economics

Ghana announced that it had halted talks to restructure $13 billion in dollar-denominated bonds with two bondholder groups, Reuters reported on April 15.

Ghana: Government Pauses Debt Restructuring Talks After IMF Warns Draft Deal Is Insufficient

Ethiopia

Zambia

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema announced that his government had reached an agreement with Zambia's eurobond holders under which the country would restructure $3.5 billion in debt under the G20 Common Framework, Bloomberg reported on March 25.

Zambia: Bondholders Agree To Restructure $3.5B in Debt

Politics

Ghana's Parliament Speaker Alban Sumana Bagbin said on March 20 that President Nana Akufo-Addo's refusal to sign the controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill passed by Parliament in February was unconstitutional, the Ghana News Agency reported the next day.

Ghana: Parliament Refuses To Approve Cabinet Reshuffle in Response to Delays in Signing Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

Ghana's finance ministry warned in a memo that implementing an anti-LGBTQ+ bill could derail funding from multilateral donors, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the Financial Times reported on March 5. 

Ghana: Finance Ministry Warns Anti-LGBTQ+ Law Risks Derailing Multilateral Funding 

Social Issues

The Ghanaian Parliament passed a stringent anti-LGBTQ+ bill imposing prison sentences of three years on individuals convicted of identifying as LGBTQ+ and a maximum five-year jail term for forming or funding LGBTQ+ groups, BBC reported on Feb. 28. 

Ghana: Parliament Passes Harsh Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

Burkina Faso

Cabo Verde

Gambia

Guinea Bissau

Liberia

Mali

Nigeria

Senegal

Sierra Leone

Togo

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso formally notified the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, of their intention to withdraw from the regional bloc, Jeune Afrique reported on Jan. 30.

Sahel: Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso Send Formal Notification of Exit From ECOWAS 

Ghana secured a moratorium on official debt payments through May 2026 and anticipates reaching a deal with eurobond investors to rework $13 billion in debt by the end of March, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta announced at the World Economic Forum, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 17.

Ghana: Finance Minister Announces Details of External Debt Renegotiation Deal

Assessments

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Chad

South Africa

Supporters of former South African President Jacob Zuma sing and chant in Tembisa, South Africa, during a recruitment drive for Zuma's newly launched uMkhonto we Sizwe party on Jan. 21, 2024.

Of the 13 countries holding elections this year, Senegal, South Africa, Chad, Ghana and South Sudan's ballots will likely be the most politically and economically impactful.

Previewing Sub-Saharan Africa's 2024 Elections

Snapshots

Ghanaians march in Accra on Nov. 5, 2022, to protest against the government’s handling of the country’s dire economic crisis.

The $3 billion loan will boost the country's foreign reserves, though some of the required unpopular fiscal consolidation measures may increase political volatility.

An IMF Bailout Will Help Kick-Start Ghana's Economic Recovery, but Challenges Remain

Guinea

Chile

China

Myanmar

Europe

Members of the Constitutional Convention pose for a picture during the official presentation of the draft they made of the new constitution on May 16, 2022, at the Ruinas de Huanchaca National Monument in Antofagasta, Chile.

Energy

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The Chilean Constitution Is Unveiled, an ECOWAS Summit

Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo is seen at an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting in Accra, Ghana, on Sept. 15, 2020. 

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

The country’s precarious financial position could cast doubt on the entire creditworthiness of sub-Saharan Africa.

The Greater Risks of Ghana’s Growing Debt Vulnerability

Guidance

Bolivia

Hong Kong SAR, China

Protesters fight gendarmes on March 5, 2021, near their barracks in the Colobane neighborhood in Dakar, Senegal, during clashes following the arrest of the main opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko. Sonko will face a court hearing on March 8 related to rape charges against him that Sonko and his supporters claim are entirely political.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The Mainland Seeks More Control Over Hong Kong, a Possible Senegalese Crackdown

France

Mauritanian soldiers stand guard at their country's border with Mali. 

The Jihadist Wars

After years in the Middle East, global militant groups have begun setting up shop in the Sahel region. And that's a problem for the booming economies of nearby Ivory Coast and Ghana. 

As Terrorists Settle Into the Sahel, West Africa Prepares for Battle

Kenya

Malawi

Field tests show the medication's efficacy in about half of those who took it, but the limits of Africa's health care infrastructure could blunt its effect.

The Limited Promise of a Malaria Vaccine

Mozambique

Zimbabwe

The invasive fall armyworm is consuming crops in a region already stressed by drought.

Agriculture

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

A major outbreak of an invasive caterpillar in parts of sub-Saharan Africa has sparked widespread worries about food security. The pest, a species endemic in the Americas known as the fall armyworm, is more difficult to eradicate than its local cousin, and its effect on the region's crop production -- and its food supplies -- will be magnified by the lingering effects of recent droughts.

A Hungry Army Marches Across Southern Africa

Global Perspectives

Contributor Perspectives

Slavery is still the scourge it has been for the past 4,000 years.

Security

On an otherwise ordinary flight from Seattle to San Francisco, Alaska Airlines steward Sheila Fedrick noticed a disheveled teenager traveling with a well-dressed older man. She was silent; he was defensive. Fedrick’s antenna went up. "She looked like she'd been through pure hell," Fedrick said. She whispered to the teen to look for a note in the plane's restroom. Three words of response were all it took: “I need help.”

The Modern-Day Abolitionist Movement

Cameroon

Central African Republic

Comoros

Gabon

Rwanda

Since the fall of colonialism in Africa, foreign powers have been protecting their interests on the continent one leader at a time.

Old Leaders in a New Africa

For countries without colonial interests in Africa, the wave of independence movements offered an opportunity to make inroads in nations outside their traditional spheres of influence. Providing physical security for a leader and his or her family is a particularly useful tool for a country that wants to assert its influence without committing extensive resources.

The Devious Art of Securing Influence in Africa

Media

Angola

Botswana

Burundi

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Djibouti

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Lesotho

Madagascar

Mauritania

Mauritius

Namibia

Republic of the Congo

Sao Tome and Principe

Seychelles

Somalia

Sudan

Eswatini

Tanzania

Uganda

Americas

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Barbados

Belize

Brazil

Canada

Colombia

Costa Rica

Cuba

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Grenada

Guatemala

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Mexico

Nicaragua

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Suriname

Bahamas

Trinidad and Tobago

Uruguay

Venezuela

Greenland

Jamaica

Asia-Pacific

Australia

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

Timor-Leste

Federated States of Micronesia

Fiji

Indonesia

Japan

Kiribati

Laos

Malaysia

Marshall Islands

Graphics

Paris Agreement Emphasizes Shift Away From Oil

The pace of the transition will be decided by how quickly new technologies reach the developing world.

Delegates attend a plenary session at the U.N. climate change summit in Paris on Dec. 9.

The agreement signed Dec. 12 in Paris is just a small part of a broader energy transition driven by technological change.

Climate Agreement Will Only Hasten Transition Beyond Oil

_Energy

Environmental Issues

SITUATION REPORTS

Niger: U.S. To Withdraw Troops From Niger, Seek New Drone Base in West Africa

Ghana: Government Pauses Debt Restructuring Talks After IMF Warns Draft Deal Is Insufficient

Zambia: Bondholders Agree To Restructure $3.5B in Debt

Ghana: Parliament Refuses To Approve Cabinet Reshuffle in Response to Delays in Signing Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

Ghana: Finance Ministry Warns Anti-LGBTQ+ Law Risks Derailing Multilateral Funding

Ghana: Parliament Passes Harsh Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

Sahel: Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso Send Formal Notification of Exit From ECOWAS

Ghana: Finance Minister Announces Details of External Debt Renegotiation Deal

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